Atsuto Uchida scored two minutes before halftime to give Japan a 1-0 win over Cyprus on Tuesday in the Blue Samurai's last home game before heading off to the World Cup in Brazil.
A crowd of 58,564 turned out at Saitama Stadium hoping to see Alberto Zaccheroni's side sign off in style with a deluge of goals, but instead a single strike from right back Uchida was all that made the difference against a Cyprus team ranked 130th in FIFA's world rankings.
Japan now travels to Florida for a training camp before heading to Brazil to take on Cote d'Ivoire, Greece and Colombia in World Cup Group C, and Zaccheroni is hoping his side will be in better physical shape for its opener against the Ivorians on June 14.